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Botsford News Release

Protect Your Skin All Year Long

Farmington Hills, Mich. (November 23, 2010)---Summer may be over, but that doesn’t mean that you should put away the sunscreen and forget about skin care. November, National Healthy Skin Month, is the perfect time to get your skin checked by your dermatologist and find out how you can best protect your skin all year long.

Francisca Kartono, D.O., Chief Dermatology Resident at Botsford Hospital, says, “Winter is just as important as summer when it comes to taking care of your skin. The winter sun combined with the sun’s glare can damage your skin, so sunscreen is still necessary. Cold winter days can also bring uncomfortable dryness to the face, hands and feet. This can often result in flaking, cracking and even eczema. Learning about your skin type and becoming familiar with good moisturizing products is important when it comes to the best care for your body.”

Dr. Kartono recommends the following skin care tips for the winter:
- Use soaps for sensitive skin care (Dove, Basis, Cetaphil). Antibacterial soaps tend to be more drying on the skin so beware of Dial, Zest, Irish Spring and Lever 2000 soaps as they may feel to dry for your skin during the winter months.
- Moisturize your skin daily. Reach for “fragrance free” moisturizers. “Unscented” products may still contain a masking fragrance.
- Protect hands with cotton gloves after moisturizing to allow for better absorption of the moisturizer.
- Change wet gloves and socks. Wool tends to be irritating on the skin, so even dry wool gloves can worsen hand eczema in the winter time.
- Use a humidifier. Keep the skin away from close contact with heaters to prevent skin dryness.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Keep feet happy with moisturizers.
- Avoid using harsh facial peels.
- Apply sunscreen daily.
- Check with a dermatologist to see how you can keep your skin healthy.

ABOUT BEAUMONT HEALTH
Beaumont Health is Michigan's largest health care system, based on inpatient admissions and net patient revenue. A not-for-profit organization, it was formed in 2014 by Beaumont Health System, Botsford Health Care and Oakwood Healthcare to provide patients with the benefit of greater access to extraordinary, compassionate care, no matter where they live in Southeast Michigan. Beaumont Health consists of eight hospitals with 3,337 beds, 168 outpatient sites, nearly 5,000 physicians and 35,000 employees and about 3,500 volunteers. In 2015, the organization had $4.1 billion in net revenue with 177,934 inpatient admissions, 17,151 births and 530,860 emergency visits. For more information, visit beaumont.org.